Hanover family to benefit from Habitat for Humanity build

Abby Sheely and her 12-year-old daughter MeKayla will move into a house that will be built on Kennedy Court.

Abby and MeKayla Sheely, right, chat with Stacey Sharland from Habitat for Humanity on Monday evening at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Hanover. Michael and Carmen Zeise, right, will help the Sheelys with the yearlong process before they move into their Kennedy Court home.
(THE EVENING SUN SARAH FLEISCHMAN )

Abby Sheely stands with her 12-year-old daughter MeKayla shortly after it was announced to the community that they would be moving into a house to be built by Habitat for Humanity.

Her favorite band is Fun. The lock screen on her phone is a graphic that says "Keep calm and play Sims."

She wears neon pink sneakers, and just wants some privacy when she's in her bedroom with her friends.

But she can't have that privacy, because her wheelchair won't fit into the room. Her mom, Abby Sheely, has to carry 12-year-old MeKayla around their apartment.

MeKayla Sheely, a seventh-grader at Hanover Middle School, has cerebral palsy, a brain and nervous system disorder.

By next fall, she won't have to be carried around by her mother. They will be moving into a new house provided by Habitat for Humanity.

The Sheelys found out a week ago that they'd be moving into a three-bedroom ranch house on Kennedy Court in Hanover.

"When I told MeKayla, she started spinning, doing donuts in her wheelchair," Sheely said.

Several dozen people gathered at St. Matthew Lutheran Church Monday night to kick off the project. Debbie Krout-Althoff, executive director of York Habitat for Humanity, announced then that the Sheelys would be the new homeowners.

Groundbreaking for the house is set for March 15, 2014, and the "blitz build" period of intense construction will be April 24 through 26, during which teams of volunteers will frame, roof and enclose the handicapped-accessible home.

Construction will continue through the spring and summer, and the house should be move-in ready by November 2014.

The vacant lot on the Kennedy Court cul-de-sac was donated by a private landowner and is appraised at $65,000.

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It is one of the last undeveloped lots in the neighborhood, Krout-Althoff said.

York Habitat for Humanity received a $90,000 federal grant to construct a handicapped-accessible house, Krout-Althoff said. About $30,000 is still needed in donations of funds and building materials in order to complete the house.

Habitat for Humanity is a global nonprofit organization that provides housing for low-income families. The York division has provided housing to almost 400 people in the past 27 years.

Volunteers are needed to help with publicity, hospitality, fundraising, securing sponsorships and more. Volunteer and other information for the build can be found at hanoverbuild.org.

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